


Maybe I Love You

by midnight_dream



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Dialogue Heavy, Enemies to Lovers, Established Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, M/M, Made up Kingdoms, Mentions of Taeyong/Taeil, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, kind of?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28437636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnight_dream/pseuds/midnight_dream
Summary: Donghyuck is a simple prince.He only wants love.A best friend turned fiancé, a royal guard, an escape to enemy lands, and two pseudo dads may be the key to achieving it.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26
Collections: NCTV Secret Santa 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kai of the wild (nakamoon)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakamoon/gifts).



> To my Secret Santa:
> 
> Hi friend, hope you enjoyed this part of the story! The story plot gave me many ideas that manifested into a cluster of writings that will be revealed in the coming weeks. This is my first published NCT fic and my first time writing in over year so I'm a bit rusty but nevertheless I hope I can do your prompt justice! Happy Holidays :)

_The sunset? That’s going to be the backdrop of his outdoor wedding. Sky blue and eggshell white? That’s going to be the color scheme. Heartfelt vows that express his most sincere feelings? That’s going to be the highlight that will have people talking for years. His deepest desires? Fulfilled._

_He can see it now._

_The wind softly tussling his hair as he stands in front of all his guests. He doesn’t care though because he is only staring at the groom in front of him. His groom is also staring back with the most loving look in his eyes that he has ever seen. Donghyuck is enamored._

_He is ready to be married and ready to spend the rest of his life happily. All he needs to do is say I do._

“Your highness, you are spacing out again.” A voice echoes. It’s familiar but definitely not coming from his imaginary wedding. Donghyuck is a bit confused.

A finger in front of his face snaps to grab the unexpecting young prince’s attention. 

The twenty year old frowns and shifts his focus from the garden down below, where he had been staring for an unknown amount of time, to his advisor across from him. The scowl on the advisor’s face brings him no comfort and he smiles apologetically, one that was all too familiar to the poor advisor. Lee Donghyuck, second prince to the kingdom Astra, would rather be in his dream world than face the reality of things. At least things went his way there. 

He fixes his standing posture and gives his advisor his full attention as if he wasn’t just staring out a window spacing out. “Sorry, I was just thinking. What’s on the schedule for today, Jinhyuk?”

“Prince Jaemin from Lindora will be riding in tonight for next week’s dinner. I expect you understand what this means?”

Donghyuck shakes his head, “I don’t.” 

It’s a lie. He in fact does know what it means but saying it out loud will only make it more real. It’s actually not even as terrible as his dramatic self is making it out to be but Donghyuck is allowed to be frustrated and upset. He’s human, afterall.

Jinhyuk rolls his eyes as if he hadn’t told the royal many times before. “It means that both of you will be starting your courting duties. You have now both reached twenty years of age and your father is not getting any younger. They, the king and queen I mean, expect you start taking your engagement very seriously. The dinner party will be the first time you will be coming out together as something more than friends.”

Donghyuck lets out a small whine as he goes to sit himself on the reading room’s rather comfy couch. At least he could pout in comfort.

There was really nothing else he could do besides agree and give confirmation that he knew his duties. He had always known that he was to be married off but now that the day, or rather days, were among him he felt burdened. He and Jaemin were great friends, the best of friends even, but he didn’t love Jaemin. At least not in the way he was expected to. And Jaemin definitely didn’t love him. They were just put together out of convenience and spite. They both knew it too. 

When he imagined his wedding, Jaemin was definitely not the face of the groom. Jaemin’s face was more so a face he had seen growing up making up mud pies and disturbing the castle workers with. He doesn’t think he could ever see himself staring at Jaemin as tenderly as he thinks he would look at someone he truly loved. The Lindorian already had someone else for that anyways.

His mom had told him that love wasn’t necessary for marriage. She hadn’t even loved his father until after they had two kids together. It’s a gradual feeling, she said. But Donghyuck does not believe her. 

Rather than a gradual feeling he believes what his mother experienced was familiarity. He would never voice it to spare her feelings but love is necessary to him and if it's not there from the beginning then what was the point of getting married. Why wait for something that may never come? He’s not experienced in love but he knows that his parents don’t really love each other in the way he wants to be in love with someone. 

If what his mom said she experienced truly was love, after so many years of marriage, then she was truly lucky. Donghyuck may never experience the same thing in his marriage with Jaemin and he didn't want to experience it with Jaemin either. 

He is not that lucky.

But being that he is a dutiful son, he has no choice but to hide away his thoughts and feelings and just accept that his marriage to Jaemin was coming soon, whether he wanted it or not. Jamein was the only upside to the whole situation. At least he was being married to a familiar face, which is more than most people in his position can say, so his outspoken complaints to his parents were kept to a minimum to not further aggravate them. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t sulk in the privacy of his quarters. No one ever has to know (well, maybe except Jaemin whom he writes letters to every couple of weeks).

“Yes, Jinhyuk. I will prepare for Jaemin’s visit. Will he be staying in the room across from me like usual?” Donghyuck picks at his nails. A bad habit, really; one that Jaemin had been fighting for him to rid of regularly. 

“Yes, prince Donghyuck, Jaemin and his guard shall arrive here around nightfall. So we must be prepared. You probably won’t get to meet with them until our first meal tomorrow so please try and look pleasant.”

Donghyuck grins mischievously, “When have I ever looked less than my absolute best? Especially when we have important guests coming over?”

“Sir, may I remind you of the time Prince Taeil came to visit?”

Poor Prince Taeil. His first week-long visit with his new fiance’s family and Donghyuck very bravely came to their kitchen table with mismatched silk pajamas and unruly hair that would put a lion’s mane to shame. Donghyuck’s brother Crown Prince Taeyong had to apologize on his behalf despite Taeil’s reassurance that it was fine. How one dresses to present themselves to guests displayed the importance of the guest’s value. The better dressed one is, the more significant the guest is to the family, so to speak.   
Donghyuck’s family never wanted people to see them as anything less than perfect. The youngest prince was different, however, and didn’t mind showing his true self no matter the guest. Taeil didn't seem to mind and based on the interactions he’s had with Taeil, pre-engagement, the prince knows where he stands with Donghyuck. (Hint: It’s very good)

Why bother hiding, he states while getting scolded. But his reason was just not good enough. Donghyuck had gotten in trouble with his parents then and was not allowed to write to Jaemin for a month. It was the only punishment that held any merit to him. He also had to write a letter apologizing to his brother’s fiance. It was pointless but necessary or so his brother had said. 

“I was just welcoming Taeil to the family, Jinhyuk. He is my new brother after all.”

Jinhyuk gives Donghyuck a pointed look. “But he wasn’t at the time.”

“Well you told me to be nice.”

The royal advisor pinches his nose bridge in frustration, “That’s not what I meant by being nice and you know it.”

“Well, I promise I will behave when Prince Jamein gets here.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, your highness.”

-

His royal advisor seems to know him well because Donghyuck does break his promise, not a few hours later. But at least he was consistent. Jinhyuk probably knew better than anyone.

Once it was nightfall, Donghyuck stood by the entrance way and waited for his best friend to arrive at his home. He was buzzing with excitement, staring at the door. Even though he knew it would be a while before Jaemin and his bodyguard Jeno would arrive. He waited anyway.

Many of the people working around on the grounds gave him curious glances but otherwise went on their way. His mother had tried multiple times to get him to go to bed so as to not overwhelm their visitors who were probably going to be tired from their journey to Astra. But Donghyuck politely declined and made a show of sitting still, a relaxed smile adorning his face. The queen had given up at that point and just reminded him to behave. 

Even Jinhyuk had given up on Donghyuck for the night and decided to let the boy wait for his betrothed slash friend while he went to bed. It was nothing new.

Jaemin often came over to be with Donghyuck when they were younger. Donghyuck was also no stranger to Jaemin’s home in Lindora. Everyone needed a friend and Jaemin was Donghyuck’s and vice versa. Even Donghyuck’s father questioned why he always went to Lindora to visit for long periods of time.

The answer was simple. He hated being bored and with his friends, whether it be in Lindora or Astra, he was never bored. Taeyong is fun too sometimes but he is always busy and now that he is married there is hardly any time they can spend with each other. 

Jaemin and Donghyuck’s parents probably took their friendship as interest in each other and hence why they were set up to be married when they were sixteen. At least that is Jaemin’s theory. Donghyuck thinks he was to be married to Jaemin because they're the nearest kingdoms to each other besides Titania. His dad hated Titania.Titania had good relations with Lindora and had a son a year older than the two of them that was set to be king one day. Being the petty king that he is, his dad beat Titania to the punch and arranged Donghyuck to be married to Jaemin first, only to further strain Astra’s relationship with Titania. It’s all in good fun, his dad had claimed.

But Donghyuck knows better. He is nothing but a pawn who wants to be in love. Jaemin and Prince Minhyung of Titania were also pawns in this political play. Donghyuck is only thankful that he is not set to rule so he doesn't have to become _that_ person. A person like his dad.

_“You’re saying you’ve never done anything out of spite,” Jaemin asks._

_“No, I have and I will most likely continue to do so in the future but there is a difference. I’m not using my son and I know what lines not to cross.”_

_“Oh Donghyuck.”_

Jaemin and his bodyguard Jeno arrive about three hours after the skies darken. The young prince wasted no time and dragged the two by the arms the minute they walked through the entrance, bypassing the workers who were ready to greet the Lindorian prince, and taking them to his room. Jaemin and Jeno politely bowed as best as they could while being dragged away. Donghyuck would apologize to the staff later but he really missed his friends and desperately wanted to talk to them.

It had been so long since they had last seen each other. Their letters to each other took almost two weeks to reach one another and with the recent development between his best friend and his bodyguard, he was dying to know the full story without having to wait almost two weeks for a continuation.

Once in his room, Donghyuck pulls them onto the loveseat next to his window while he takes the single couch. He stares at them with a cheshire grin and his palms resting on his face, wanting to hear their story.

It takes all of two seconds before Jaemin jumps in and starts recounting his and Jeno’s love story. It was a simple one. Jeno had gradually gained feelings for the subject he was supposed to guard. Jaemin felt the same but was never sure about Jeno’s feelings toward him.

“Then when my foot got stuck on a root and I started to drown, Jeno jumped in to save me. Afterwards, he confessed to me because he was scared that if something did ever happen he would have never been able to profess his undying love for me.” Jaemin clasps his hands and smiles at his bodyguard turned lover. Jeno returns the lovely smile.

Donghyuck lets out the breath he didn’t even know he was holding in. He tries not to let his small jealousy show as he turns to Jeno. “Did you really say that?”

“Not in so many words.” Jeno shrugs.

“Jeno is just too shy to admit that he did. Don’t worry Jeno, Donghyuck is our friend he won’t judge.”

The Astrian prince nods and winks at the guard, “Yeah, don’t worry. We are all friends here.”

Jaemin links his arm with his bodyguard’s and begins a new conversation topic with his friend. To Donghyuck, being with Jaemin is easy. He is compassionate, warm, and friendly, all things he was looking for in a husband. But Jaemin was not his to have, even though he didn’t want him as anything other than a friend. Jeno was lucky and if he could trade places with Jeno so that Jeno could be with Jaemin he would. Donghyuck believes everyone deserves love. Especially people as kind as Jaemin and Jeno.

“We should talk about why I’m really here,” Jaemin says, a glint of mischief obvious in his eyes.

Donghyuck groans and gets up in his seat to pace back and forth behind the single couch. When Donghyuck is stressed he paces. Jeno and Jaemin just watch him as he does so, waiting for him to formulate the words so obviously on his mind. “It’s honestly ridiculous. My mom and dad want us to start familiarizing ourselves with the concept of marriage. My mom especially thinks that since we are already friends, we will fall in love in the process which is absurd if you ask me.”

“Well, I already love you.”

Donghyuck stops his pacing and stares at his best friend. Jeno also stares at him, head tilted in confusion.

Jaemin tilts his head back in laughter. “You know I mean as a friend. I just wanted to see that funny look on your face, my prince. You too Jeno, my dearest, the apple of my eye.” Jeno lips quirk up in relief as he pecks Jaemin on the cheek.

“Ugh, spare me, please I beg.” The Astrian prince groans at the display of affection.

“This is true love Donghyuck and if you can’t see it at face value I pity the boy who falls in love with you. You will be too dense to realize.”

Donghyuck scoffs loudly, “You literally took a full month to even ask for Jeno’s name. Even I could see he was always looking at you with a twinkle in his eye.”

“Jeno is my guard. He is supposed to always look at me. How was I supposed to know he was looking at me?”

Said guard clears his throat, “I’m right here and if I must clarify, my princes, I didn’t start liking his highness Prince Jaemin until earlier this year.”

“Irrelevant.” Donghyuck resumes his pacing again, this time walking around his whole room.

“I have to agree with Donghyuck.” Jaemin pats Jeno’s back before turning his attention to Donghyuck.

“So anyways, are you ready to start dance lessons and table manners for the dinner?”

“Sounds dreadful. I haven’t had any lessons since my coming of age festivities.”

Jaemin laughs at the fond memories. “Oh yeah. Remember when you embarrassed yourself in front of Prince Minhyung? He probably still thinks you are a fool.”

That had been a rather embarrassing story. Donghyuck was not usually clumsy. He was elegant and classy, always. But in front of Prince Minhyung he was foolish and uncoordinated. It was embarrassing and his mom and dad had given him a scolding of a lifetime, yet again, because of it.

“Prince Minhyung of Titania?” Jeno pipes in.

“Of course, my darling. Donghyuck is practically in love with him.”

Donghyuck frowns, “I’m not in love with him. I just think he is handsome that is all.”

Jaemin arches his eyebrow knowingly. It’s the look he gives when he knows Donghyuck is lying to himself. Donghyuck hates it because he knows Jaemin is right.

“Fine, maybe I am a little in love with him.”

“It’s very rare to catch him outside of the walls of Titania. Plus I thought your family hated them.” Jeno wonders out loud. It was no secret of the hatred between Titania and Astra. Apparently, even people in Lindora know of it.

“They do. The Titanian Royal family was invited to my coming of age event out of spite but my dad was surprised when they showed up. Honestly I think it’s kind of cool that they showed up. They were really kind people to me. My dad was about to throw a fit but mother stopped him from doing so because it embarrassed the family.”

Donghyucks looks over to his friends. “I was hoping they would find Prince Minhyung suitable enough to marry me off to even if we were kind of already enemies. I think it would be really beneficial to Astra.”

“To Astra or to him?” Jaemin mutters under his breath to Jeno. Jeno stifles a chuckle and covers it up with a loud cough. If Donghyuck heard anything, he didn’t say anything.

“But alas they somehow picked Jaemin. Quite disappointing really.” Donghyuck dramatically sighs.

“Hey! Most people would be excited to be engaged to me.”

“Well I’m not most people or Jeno. I want a whirlwind romance, no offense. But if it makes you feel better I’m glad that at least I’m stuck with you, or well you guys, for the rest of my life.”

Jeno stands up and walks over to Donghyuck to give him a hug.“We are glad to be stuck with you too, Hyuck.”

The shock is evident on Jaemin and Donghyuck’s faces. Besides tonight, the bodyguard was all work and no play. The Astrian prince doesn’t know what the couple is like in Lindora but whenever they are in Astra Jeno is very formal (well, mostly) even though they are all friends. Donghyuck is happy to see him let loose for once. 

Almost rendered speechless, Donghycuk manages to sputter out,“Jeno I’m so honored that you finally called me Hyuck without having me to tell you first. We have progressed past the need for formal pleasantries. Finally.”

Jeno laughs. “I’ve gotten enough scoldings from Jaemin to last a lifetime about formalities.”

“Nice.” The three of them laugh.

The trio decide to call it a night as they had been talking for a few hours already. In the midst of preparing for bed, Donghyuck hears a banging on his door and a lot of commotion outside. Before he can open the door, his mom barges in, still dressed in her night robes.

“Donghyuck, we need to get you out of here. We are under attack. Quickly change into your day clothes,” the queen whispers before pushing back into his room. He wastes no time and starts changing back into his clothes. He quickly grabs a bag and puts some essentials in it: an extra set of clothes, a map, a compass, and his journal. As quickly as he was pushed into his room, he emerges from the door to see his mother constantly checking both ends of the hallways, her guards in a ready stance should someone get to their wing, waiting for her son.

In front of the room across from him he sees his best friend and his bodyguard also standing there waiting for him to come out. It’s evident that they were also in the midst of getting ready to go to bed and were rushed to put their day clothes back on based on the disheveled look of the two. Jaemin looked panicked while Jeno was as calm as he usually was. He was probably trained to not panic in situations like these, Donghyuck thought.

He didn’t miss the way the couple linked pinkies even though they were in front of others. DOnghyuck looks away from their conjoined hands.

“Mom, what’s going on?” He says, trying to keep out the tremble in his voice. He obviously fails.

“You, prince Jaemin and his guard need to go before the rebels infiltrate in here.They are already on the grounds and I can’t risk anything happening to you kids.”

“Where are we supposed to go?” Donghyuck says with panic laced in his every word. He had never been in a situation where he was forced to leave the castle. He had heard of the rebel attacks from the small faction against the royal family but they were never severe. Often they never even made it anywhere on the castle ground. But now that they have they were closer than ever. To make it worse, not only was he endangered but also Jaemin and Jeno.

“Go down the hall, there is a painting of the kingdom, take it down and go down the hallway and it should lead you to the woods.” The queen looks over to her son’s fiance, “Prince Jaemin, your guard should be able to escort you two to a neighboring kingdom Aris. Stop for no one.” The queen places the palm of her hand on her son’s face. The look in her eyes displays fright and concern.

“What about you and dad?”

“Don’t worry about us, we will be hiding somewhere safe but should something happen, we need you safe. Taeyong and his guard have already departed. Now go.”

The Astrian queen pushes her son towards the other prince and his guard before leaving the hallway entirely. Donghyuck stares as his mother departs, not knowing if or when he was ever going to see her again.  
For his mom to be this frightened and to have no other option but to send her son away meant that the situation was bad. He didn’t want to leave her behind. But he had felt a sense of duty to try and stay alive should anything happen to his parents or older brother.

“Come on Prince Donghyuck we must go.” Jeno grabs Donghyuck’s arm and leads him down the hall with Jaemin in tow. He hands Jaemin a bag to hold and continues forward. Donghyuck could only assume there were supplies they needed in there while they journey through the woods. 

Quietly, Jeno guides the princes toward the escape route told by the queen. Based on the background noises he was desperately trying to drown out, it seemed like the rebels had somehow made their way into the castle. Definitely not a good sign. Donghyuck tries not to think about what could be happening in other parts of the castle as he escapes. Even if he wanted to help he would be no good to the guards that are trained to do so. He would only be in the way.

Just as fast as they had left their rooms, the three boys reached the picture frame and took it down. Behind it was a wooden door leading to a dark hallway that led to what he assumes is the woods. Jeno rushes them in and closes the door behind him. They all run down the dark hallway that led outside as fast as they could. It took about five minutes before they saw the light reflection of the moon shining down on the grounds.

There was a mist covering the trees but they had no other choice but to go in. They had to run away and not look back. So doing as the queen told them, they all run in, any trace of hesitance left behind. They run and run for what feels like an hour. Once deemed far enough in, the princes and royal guard stop to catch their breaths.

Jaemin leaps into Jeno’s arms and pecks his lips in relief that they were able to escape. Donghyuck only rolls his eyes at the scene but is mentally appreciative that they are all alright. If he had a loved one, he would probably do the same as Jaemin. So he kind of understands.

“Alright, you two. I don’t think we are far enough away for us to relax yet. The rebels could still find us if we do not get moving soon.”

“You're right, Prince Donghyuck, let us keep moving. At least for now we need to move through the night. I’m not sure how long it’ll take for us to get to where we are going but the more we work through the nights the faster we can get there,”the guard says.

“It should take us a week on foot to get to Aris, maybe even faster if we follow Jeno’s plan.”

Jaemin nods while Jeno lets out a tight smile.

“Well friends, let's go.”

So the three friends do their best to trek through the woods. The moonlight gives them only semblance of light in the dark woods. The tree bark was still too damp from the previous days' rain to create any kind of fire. They could only rely on the moonlight. It wasn’t safe for them to take it slow, they had to be far enough away where they wouldn’t get caught. A few days' journey would be enough for them to slow down.

All through the day and a half of the night, the three of them moved through the forest following Jeno’s guidance. Had Donghyuck been alone he would not have been able to navigate himself though the woods. He’s grateful that he has Jaemin and Jeno with him on this journey. He is happy to say, though, that he did provide Jeno with the compass he packed earlier to help navigate. 

Whenever it is that he gets back to his home, he is going to learn how to navigate using the stars and the compass the way Jeno was guiding them now.

-

“Jeno, are you sure we are going the right way? We should’ve made it there already and I’m tired.” Donghyuck asks six days later. They had traveled for six days and Donghyuck’s patience was wearing thin. He doesn’t think his friends understand how miserable he is because they didn’t have to be third wheel to what Donghyuck thinks is the most obnoxious couple ever (he’s exaggerating but the point still stands).

Donghyuck leans against a tree, out of breath. He doesn’t know how much energy he has left in him to continue the journey. He’s half convinced to give up and start a new life in the woods. He doesn’t have in him anymore to keep going. 

His best friend stops and turns around and unlatches the sack that he was carrying, handing Donghyuck some water from his pouch.

“Let’s just keep going a little more and then we can stop. We should almost be to Aris by now, right Jeno?” 

Jeno finally stops and turns around to face the two princes. The look on his face displays regret and guilt. Donghyuck has known Jeno long enough to read the expression loud and clear.

“What’s wrong, Jeno? What did you do?” Jaemin says with worry in his voice. 

“We aren’t going to Aris,” Jeno sighs, “I lied. Forgive me my princes but I have been leading us elsewhere with the hope that you will forgive me. I’m sorry for the deceit.”

Jaemin frowns, “What did you do Jeno?”

“Sorry, my princes.” Jeno bows his head in shame.

“If not Aris, then where are we going?”

“We are going to Titania.”

Donghyuck stops drinking the water. “Prince’ Minhyung’s kingdom?”

“What were you thinking, Jeno? You know the royal family hates Donghyuck’s family. Do you really think they’ll let him stay?” Jaemin groans in frustration. He knows Jeno meant well but this situation was bad. Sure the Lees were nice to Donghyuck once but he doesn’t consider that interaction enough for him to characterize the royals as “nice” and “accommodating” to the Astrian Lees.

“Sorry Prince Jaemin, I’m under your parents orders and by default I have to listen to them over Prince Donghyuck’s parents. This is our escape route. We have good ties with the Lee’s and if we are ever in any danger we are to go to Titania. They will help us.”

“Goodness Jeno. The Na’s have a good relationship but not me, not my family. My parents would never suspect me to go there. I will never be found.” Donghyuck wants to pull out his hair. “Maybe I should make my way back to Aris while you guys go on ahead to Titania.”

“It's far too dangerous for that. Please, come with us.” Jaemin reaches out for Donghyuck’s hand and holds it. It was his way of comforting his friend. 

For as long as Donghyuck could remember Jaemin had always been good at comforting his best friend. Whether it was a scolding from his father or the announcement of his brother’s engagement, Jaemin was always there for him.

“Please do not worry about anything my princes. We have a way in and if we can convince at least one of them, maybe Prince Minhyung, then I think Donghyuck will be allowed to stay just for the time being.”

“I can threaten to cut off ties with Lindora if they don’t help you,” says Jaemin.

Donghyuck gives him a soft smile, “That’s really nice of you Jaemin but I don’t think you can actually threaten that if they don’t take me in.”

“Well, one day I’ll be king so I think I can.”

Donhyuck nods and holds out a hand for Jeno to shake. “Ok, I’m trusting you Jeno.”

Another day and a half of walking has the trio standing right outside the walls of Titania. It was kind of famous for being the only kingdom to have walls surrounding it. Not everyone was lucky to see what was held inside. Not even Donghyuck himself had ever been inside the walls of Titania.

Jaemin was proud to say that he had been a few times when he was younger but he hadn’t been lately so he also wondered if it looked like the way he had remembered it.

At one glance, Donghyuck can see that there was only one entrance on this side of the wall. Guards stood in front of the arched doorway ready to let people in or turn them away. Just now in front of them, the guards were harshly refusing entry to someone. That didn’t make Donghyuck feel good at all.

“So now that we are here, how do we get in? We can’t just walk through the walls,” Donghyuck questions.

“Of course not, I have papers that will get us in. One needs permission before they can come in but it isn’t hard to obtain so I always carry copies we received from Titania for things such as this.” Jeno explains.

“You are always prepared, my love.”

“I have to be as I am guarding one of this country’s most sacred treasures.” Donghyuck scrunches up his nose in disgust. He has never felt more alone and single than he had on the journey to Titania.

“Jeno, I am quite literally standing right in front of you too. Do you not see me well enough that I am invisible? I too am a sacred treasure of this country.” 

“Hyuck, please.” Jaemin, still staring lovingly at Jeno, pushes Donghyuck away.

“I’m simply stating a fact.”

Jeno leads them to the entrance to the kingdom. “Alright let’s go. Just follow me lead.”

Jeno and Jaemin were the only ones walking with confidence. Donghyuck, on the other hand, was a bit more nervous. Walking into an enemy’s kingdom with another prince and a guard who is not bound to protect him. It all just makes him nervous. 

He knows Jeno would help him if he could but when it comes down to him and Jaemin, Donghyuck is basically on his own.He hated that his mother didn’t assign him a guard but when one is in a rush as much as they were, he guesses it was the last thing on her mind other than getting him out of the castle.

“Relax, Prince Donghyuck. Everything will be fine. Almost no one knows who you are here by face. The chances of you getting caught are little to none. ” Jeno whispers. He must have been obvious for even love struck Jeno to notice. Donghyuck exhales and lets out a small smile. The words somewhat reassure him.

When they make it to the front, the princes let Jeno do the talking. “What business do you three young fellows have here?” the burly guard says, looking at the three boys in front of him.

Jeno pulls out their papers and hands them over the guard. “We are here to start a new life. We have documents here to access entry to Titania.”

The guard looks at the papers and then again at the three boys. “Very well,” he says skeptically.

“Thank you sir.”

The guard moves aside and motions them to walk inside the long entrance way into the kingdom. “Move along.”

Getting in was the easy part. Getting around was the tricky thing.

The first thing Donghyuck notices when he is able to see the inside of the wall is the fact that the people on the roads and paveways were hustling and bustling. There were many merchants on the side of the pathways selling all kinds of goods: fruits, cloths, clothes, jewelry. There were kids running around while their parents shopped around in the farmers market. There were food vendors trying to capture the attention of random passerbyers.

This was very much like Astra, Donghyuck notices. But unlike Astra, everyone here looks happy. Not a single drunk argument in sight. It was peaceful and there were many items sold that he didn’t even recognize. It was obvious to anyone who saw that it was a progressive place. He needed to write about what he has seen in his journal when they find a place to stay. It is marvelous. Even the castle where the royal family lived was in the middle of the kingdom instead of the usual outer corner. It was like they were saying that everyone was welcomed to come from anywhere in the kingdom. It truly was the pinnacle of Titania.

“Wow.” Jaemin’s eyes widen in amazement. “This is different than I remember. I’ve never seen such a lively place. It’s amazing.”

Jeno and Donghyuck nod their heads in agreement. It was a foreign place to them, of course they were in awe of everything. It was new and flashy. It was clean, it was busy, it was their new home until they could go back.

“Let’s settle somewhere; we can explore tomorrow and find Prince Minhyung. It’s already getting late and the sun is setting. I’m tired and missing sleeping in a bed. Plus we don’t want to be recognized.” Jeno is the first to break their silence. He looks around to see if anyone was looking at them suspiciously. For two princes who want to hide their identities, they sure weren’t trying hard enough. But alas, everyone is too busy doing their own thing and minding their own business to notice them.

Good, Jeno thinks.

“Can we stop at the fruit cart right there? We can ask the fruit vendor where to find shelter for the night.” Jaemin’s eyes shine. It was finally food he liked, actually it was finally any kind of food that wasn’t berries or small rabbits. 

“That one looks shady, it’s in an alleyway.” Donghyuck stares at the cart vendor. 

“But that one has bananas and I really want to eat one.” Jaemin pouts to his best friend. Donghyuck only shakes his head. When Jaemin isn’t given the response he wants he turns to his bodyguard. 

It takes Jeno all of five seconds before he cracks and drags Jamein to the fruit cart, promising the Astrian prince that he would take care of Jaemin and be on the lookout for anyone looking to do harm. Donghyuck sighs and follows them reluctantly. “Fine, let’s go. Not like I have much of a choice,” he murmurs.

They stop at the fruit cart and politely bow to the vendor. Jeno and Jaemin go to look at the fruit selection while Donghyuck stays behind. One of them has to be the responsible one. 

“Excuse me, can you help us?” Donghyuck asks. He can hear his friend’s proclamation of love towards the fruit with Jeno laughing in the background.

The lady in front of the cart looks over with a tight smile. It drops when she sees Donghyuck standing in front of her. “What are you doing?”

“We need to find somewhere to stay so I’m asking for some help. Do you know a place where we can stay for tonight for cheap?”

The vendor squints her right eye, “Kids like you should be with your parents. You are far too young to be roaming around this area and asking for housing. Your parents would be ashamed.”

Donghyuck is taken aback by her response. “Ma’am, we were just looking for a place to stay.”

But the woman only clicks her tongue and grabs Donghyuck by the collar of his shirt. Noticing what is happening, Jeno runs over and tries to pry the lady’s tight grip off his shirt. If only she knew who she was holding. “Wait until I report this to the royal guards, you lot will be banished from here. I swear the crowd gets younger and younger. There really is no shame in youth anymore.”

The Astrain prince had never felt so scared in his life. It had only been a few hours since he had entered the kingdom but now he was about to be kicked out. Why had his terrible luck followed him through his journey?

As if someone was answering his silent prayers, a deep voice interrupts Jaemin’s shouting at the vendor to release Donghyuck, “Ahh Haechan and friends, what have I told you about coming down this alleyway? I told you to go down the third street not the second.”

The trio as well as the vendor look over to see where the voice was coming from. In front of them was a tall, slender, handsome, by Donghyuck’s standards, stranger holding a basket of vegetables. His demeanor screamed confidence and if he had told Donghyuck that he was now going to be the new king of Astra Donghyuck would have definitely believed him. Not forgetting the fact that it was his father that was king and that his older brother was set to take their father’s place when the time came.

“These boys were trying to find a cheap place to stay. I cannot allow it.”

Jeno is the first to come back from the initial interruption and respond for the trio. “Sorry, we made a mistake. Haechan really wanted fruit and we just went to the first cart we saw.”

Donghyuck tries his best to look regretful. The handsome man in front of him eyes him suspiciously before responding.

“Come, come, now. I’ll take you guys home. We can get fruit later.”

The trio quickly agree and power over to get behind the stranger. They didn’t want to deal with the fruit cart vendor anymore.

“We will take our leave now, Mrs. Kim, and may I say your fruit is ripening well. I bet in a few days they will be delicious. Your cart will still be here right? My inn is running low on fruits.” The guy gives his best smile.

“Just leave Doyoung, but let this be a warning for the kids not to be treading into such dangerous areas anymore.”

Doyoung bows,“Thank you.” He elbows Donghyuck, who in turn elbows Jeno and Jaemin, to do the same. All three take the hint and bow back to the fruit vendor before departing, praising whoever they can that they were able to get out of the situation unscathed.

“You guys should not be exploring that area. You are lucky I came by when I did.” The handsome stranger Doyoung says.

“Why not?” Jeno asks.

“That’s where the few brothels are. You asking for a cheap place to stay could imply that you are looking for a brothel.”

Donghyuck shakes his head. “No, definitely not. We are new and just looking for a cheap place to stay the night. We had a long journey and would like to rest.”

Doyoung stares at the three and analyzes them as if he would be able to detect lies coming from them. With the hard look in his eyes, Donghyuck has no doubts that he probably could.

“Well, lucky for you, me and my partner own an inn. We can house you for the night.”

Donghyuck looks to his companions as if asking for permission to say yes. Jaemin needs no convincing and automatically nods his head. The prince turns to look at Jeno. He hadn’t noticed before but Jeno was observing Doyoung the way he had observed them. “So, what do you think Jeno?”

“I think we can stay one night.”

Doyoung grins. “Alright kids, follow me.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day of Disaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive my errors, I wrote about two-thirds of this on my phone.

Donghyuck is not one to compare things, or well actually he is but he tries not to do it often. He can’t help it as much as Jaemin can help being in love with Jeno. But because of everything going on and because of the situation he and his friends had now found themselves in he can’t help but to compare things.

First off, Astra is considered to be a big kingdom in it’s own right but on first glance it’s obvious that his kingdom is at least five times smaller than that of Titania. All he can see are never ending rows of stalls, buildings, housing, marketplaces, you name it, from where he was standing. He can see where it starts but he’s clueless about where it ends. What more if he was able to see the kingdom from an aerial point of view? Donghyuck shudders at the mere thought of seeing how big Titania actually was. He felt quite intimidated. It was a no wonder his dad felt threatened.

Don’t get him wrong, Astra was lovely in most, if not all, aspects. But there was no denying that there was something very alluring about Titania in a way Astra wasn’t.

Was it because everything was so pristine? Was it because of the cohesiveness of the every day routine that people seem to go about? The young prince couldn’t quite put his finger on it. How could a place that he was supposed to hate and never step foot in (his father’s words, not his) be so enchanting, leaving him curious to know more. Leaving him also curious to know what else is out there besides Astra.

Overall, his impression of Titania was good. Better than he expected to feel about a rival kingdom. And dare he say he liked the feeling of being in Titania more than he liked the feeling of being in Lindora, a place he considered his second home.

Donghyuck tries not to think of it too much to avoid the inevitable drama that has yet to come.

The trio and their new friend Doyoung walk through the streets to get to Doyoung’s inn. Even though it was almost night time the streets were still buzzing with people. There were kids playing around, there were adults buying stuff, and there were even people still working on producing more goods. It was fascinating to see. 

Donghyuck sees the sun setting, orange and purple hues taking over the sky and he lets out a small sigh of relief. They had gotten lucky in finding a hospitable guide such as Doyoung. Any time after the sun set might have proved tricky to find housing. Not just that but who would want to help three strangers, much less young adults. They had already suffered enough in the woods, they didn’t need to also suffer in some unknown kingdom where they didn’t know the rules or customs.

_It was fine, everything was fine now,_ Donghyuck had repeated over and over in his head. They had been given a chance with Doyoung. The oh so curious Doyoung.

“So what were you kids really doing in the alleyway? I can tell you guys aren’t from around here.” Donghyuck was so immersed in taking in his surroundings that he almost didn’t hear Doyoung ask him a question.

Jeno clears his throat and gives him a light slap on the shoulder. Donghyuck looks confused at his best friend’ guard’s actions. But Jeno tilts his head in the older man’s direction and Donghyuck immediately understands. Doyoung must have said something and Donghyuck had not heard. 

“Sorry, can you repeat the question?” he asks sheepishly, hoping that Doyoung would not get annoyed at this lack of attention.

Doyoung sighs but answers anyway. “ I said it’s obvious you guys aren’t from around here so what brings you here to Titania?”

“Oh, we were looking for a place to stay but we wanted some food beforehand because we’ve been traveling for so long so we stopped at a fruit cart.” That had been the truth. Donghyuck wonders what would have happened had they chosen a different cart to stop at or if they had arrived later when Doyoung had already passed by. _Stop,_ he doesn’t even want to think of it.

“That area is dangerous and no place for kids like yourselves. Be sure to stay away from there from now on if you plan on staying here, alright?” Doyoung sternly says. “I’ll let you stay the night for free at the inn but any more nights after will require payment. I’m running a business you know.”

Jaemin stops in his tracks and folds his arms across his chest. “Fine but before we continue on to your inn, I need to know, how do we know we can trust you?”

Doyoung scoffs and let’s an incredulous laugh escape his lips as if he could not believe the question being presented to him. He turns to the Lindorian prince and folds his own arms across his chest, mirroring that of the other.

“Two things,” The inn owner raises his hand and lifts a finger. ”One: You don’t know because you are new here but I just saved you from the fruit lady, she’s infamous around here for reporting people to the royals. It’s why she’s parked in front of that street. Many dangerous people go down to the brothels. People say she might be a poorly executed spy roaming around the streets of Titania for the royals. Everyone always steers clear. Her cart is a sham.”

“And is she a spy?” Jaemin asks, curious to know whether or not he should be worried about future encounters should he see her again.

Doyoung shrugs and raises another finger. 

“And two: I’m not bragging but I am pretty reputable around this kingdom. My partner too. So you can literally ask anyone about us. I don’t waste time helping people that don’t benefit me and you three definitely don’t benefit me so I’m doing this out of the goodness of my heart. Congratulations.”

At the response, Donghyuck looks at Doyoung skeptically. “If you don’t help anyone who doesn’t benefit you, why are you helping us?”

“Honestly, you looked scared for your life. As heartless as I may seem I do care about our youth and by default that includes you guys even if you are annoying.”

He’s satisfied with Doyoung’s answer. Even if he doesn’t show it blatantly, Donghyuck can tell he was just looking out for them like an older brother would look out for their younger brother. Except Doyoung is probably old, so more like a dad helping a son. Donghyuck grins at the thought and hugs the unsuspecting Doyoung. “Thanks dad,” he teases. 

The elder of the two only grimaces and doesn’t hug back. Instead, he uses his pointer finger to push the prince’s forehead to get him to step back out of his space. He brushes off the wrinkles that probably were probably caused by the impromptu hug. Donghyuck’s smile never left his face despite being practically pushed off the elder. Doyoung almost felt bad but he wasn’t affectionate to anyone that wasn't his parents or his husband.

Immediately, Donghyuck clings onto Jaemin’s arm. 

“Alright kids, if this little questioning session is over, let’s keep moving. Jaehyun will kill me if I don’t return soon. We have a lot of preparations to do for the viewing tomorrow and I was supposed to return with these vegetables,” Doyoung holds the basket he had been holding up, “for dinner so let's get moving. Chop chop.”

The three friends seem to be satisfied with Doyoung’s answers so they continue to follow Doyoung through the crowds.

It was a nice, peaceful walk through the streets of the kingdom as long as you didn’t mind the noises of merchants and customers yelling and doing business with one another. Once in a while a merchant would call Doyoung over to have a small chat. The three were told to stay put until Doyoung returned to them and since Doyoung was the owner of the place they were staying they had no choice but to comply. They entertained themselves by walking over to other stalls to look at the clothing and trinkets being sold.

Donghyuck had even heard Jaemin ask Jeno if he had any money to buy some trinkets. Of course when Jeno said they had no money to spare they moved on to the next stall. Jeno looked apologetic but Jaemin grabbed his hand and placed a chaste kiss on it to reassure him that it was fine, that everything was okay. The Astrian prince suspects that the reassurance kiss Jaemin had given wasn’t only about the money but he doesn’t further question it and pretends like he saw nothing at all.

Now, Jaemin may or may not agree with him, but knowing how Astra was, Donghyuck was happy to be in a marketplace, identity unknown to all. He was able to actually look at the merchandise without being hassled or pulled away by other vendors to come look at their stalls. Despite the night rising, he was secretly thankful merchants kept stopping Doyoung.

_It’s good for business,_ Doyoung had said, after stopping for the third time. _You’re young so you don’t care but you must display good manners and hospitality. It’s how you keep business coming in._ Jaemin and Donghyuck actually laughed out loud at Doyoung’s words, much to his puzzlement. Jeno was the only one with enough decency to cover his mouth as he let out a small chuckle. 

Doyoung remained oblivious and none the wiser.

Jaemin and Donghyuck were royalty which meant that they knew nothing but good manners and hospitality. It is ingrained in their brains from the moment they could learn and comprehend things. Donghyuck was pretty sure his first word was in fact the word _please_. Not mama, not papa, not any form of Taeyong’s name, just the one syllable word _please._

Jaemin liked to joke around and say that his first word was Lindora but Donghyuck has it on good authority (Jaemin’s younger brother Jisung) that his first word was not Lindora but instead _play_. Being the hyperactive person his best friend was it did not surprise him that that was his first word. Grade A friend but top notch jokester Jaemin was. It’s why they got along so well. Birds of a feather, he supposed.

How Jeno dealt with them when they were together he didn’t know but he managed and they always had a great time together, even if Jeno was often the butt of the joke. _Lay it easy on my love,_ Jaemin would remind him, as if he had not just joked about Jeno’s seriousness. 

“So I heard that merchant mention the viewing again. You said you and your partner were preparing for it. What is it?” The observant Jeno, who hadn’t spoken a word yet, chimes in. 

Both Donghyuck and Jaemin look at Doyoung, anticipating his answer.

“Oh, the viewing? Every couple of months the royals do a walk through of the kingdom. It’s their way of showing face and making sure things are running smoothly. They make sure the little people, that's us, are seen and heard. You didn’t notice how everyone’s carts and stalls looked polished?”

“I mean I did. I just thought that’s how it always looked here.” Jeno scratches the back of his neck.

“It usually does look like this, don’t get me wrong, but Titania is experiencing high tensions right now because it’s not the king who is doing the walk around. It’s Prince Minhyung.”

“Why is that so important?” Jaemin cocked his head. Donghyuck couldn’t deny that he, too, was curious. But he’s usually curious about anything that involves Prince Minhyung si it was nothing new or out of the ordinary.

“It’s not that it’s more important. It’s just that it’s his first time leading it so everyone is on their best behavior. People want to show the future king how well his kingdom is running. The better the kingdom looks to the more likely we will have more favors granted for us.” 

“But wouldn’t it have the opposite effect? Like if he saw you guys doing good then he would think that everything’s fine and nothing else needs to be done?”

The question seemed to have struck a nerve with Doyoung. Doyoung clicks his tongue in annoyance, “What, suddenly you know the royals enough to know the dynamics of Titania?”

“Well, no but I am ro--” Jaemin’s eyes widen as he uses his hand to cover Donghyuck’s mouth to prevent him from any speaking any more. He looks to his boyfriend for some help. Luckily being on the same wavelength Jeno is able to pick up the message Jaemin is sending with his eyes.

“What my friend means is that in our kingdom, we are all from Lindora actually, if they had a viewing like yours and saw that everything was running okay then the royal family would think everything is okay and would not further address any problems. So it’s interesting that here it is the opposite and we would like to know more. Isn’t that right, friend?”

The hand Jaemin placed on the back of Donghyuck’s head makes him begrudgingly nod his head like a puppet. Even though he wanted to speak his mind. He sends a glare Jaemin’s way.

“Titania is an enigma you could say.” Donghyuck rolls his eyes at this. Don’t most citizens think their kingdom is special. “We have a very open line of communication with the royals. Maybe not all on a personal level but at least to a point where we are heard. Every season the castle gate opens and we line up throughout the day letting the king know what’s going on and what we need help with. As king it is his duty to help us. Halfway through the season, there is a viewing to see the state of the kingdom. If everything looks in tip top shape that means we are improving, it means that we did not take our favors for granted and used them to better the kingdom. If the king sees that then he’ll be more likely to help us with more favors.”

Donghyuck, Jeno, and Jaemin all stay quiet and ponder over the information. It definitely is a different way of thinking. Donghyuck could get behind it if he was honest. Different didn’t mean bad but if he were to suggest this methodology and then said where he got the idea from he reckons he would be kicked out of the room. Maybe it’s only possible in Titania.

“Other kingdoms' monarchy rules over the people but never really listens to what they have to say. Whatever laws they make don’t actually help the majority. At least here the king is aware of what’s going on and can make decrees that would benefit the majority. You could assume the people are like our own parliament.”

“Well thats..” Jaemins starts his sentence. Donghyuck is the one to finish it for him, “Progressive.”

“It’s Titania.”

The rest of the walk was left in silence. Donghyuck had heard rumors of how Titania was different from other kingdoms but he thought they were just that: rumors. Supposedly, all who went past Titania’s walls never left. He and Jaemin had made different theories about this rumor..

Jaemin thought they never left because of its opulence and their hoard of gold and other gems. This is only seventy-five percent wrong. Titania did have a grandeur look to it and it was obvious that much money went into the infrastructure with purple drapings hanging on all the buildings as if they were some type of uniform. There were also many potted plants and flowers lining the streets too. Not to mention some of the merchants were selling the best food and best jewelry he had ever seen. And don’t even get him started on the clothing. Titania was splendid and rich, it was obvious.

Donghyuck, on the other hand, had a more violent approach. He thought newcomers were imprisoned and were left to rot in their cells until the end of time, never to be seen again. Jeno had to knock his head to get the nonsense out of there. Even he had to admit that it was a bit too much but what did you expect from a young prince conditioned to hate (even though he’s actually just indifferent and maybe even warming up to because of a certain prince) his rival kingdom.

But after being in Titania for a few hours, he could see why people never left. Hell, he didn’t even want to leave. By the looks on his travel companions' faces sans Doyoung it was obvious they felt the same. He would never admit it out loud though because, well, he’s the prince of another kingdom and that would not be a good look for him. It was all just new and intriguing. Even Jeno who rarely showed excitement, except when it came to Jaemin, could not hide his fascination with the city.

Donghyuck was very pleased.

After what felt like a twenty-five minute walk, the group ends up standing in front of the inn. The princes and the royal guard’s mouth open in surprise as they all nervously look at one another. The inn itself was not particularly anything special. It had purple draping like other buildings they had passed as well as some other purple decorations displayed in the front. It was probably in a better condition on the outside than other buildings but not so much so that it would make the building stand out greatly. It was definitely longer and bigger than other buildings on the road but it was an inn and Donghyuck expected nothing less.

It was the location of the inn that had them shocked.

It was right in front of the castle, in the heart of the kingdom. Of course they didn’t realize since they had no idea just how big Titania was. When they walked through the gates and into Titania they could only see the rows upon rows upon rows of buildings, streets and stalls. It felt like it went on forever. The castle was visible too but it felt like it would take a long walk to get there and after their journey they were just not interested in determining how long it would take to get to the castle.

I guess now they knew.

“Um Doyoung, you never told us you worked across the road from the castle,” Donghyuck grumbles. Of any and all places is this kingdom of course they would find housing practically next to the one place they were avoiding. He rubs his eyes in frustration, not even believing the situation they found themselves in...again.

The whole point was to stay away from Prince Minhyung, not be as close as humanly possible to him. It was just his luck.

Doyoung nonchalantly rubs his chin as he takes the boys not to the inn but to a smaller house-like building to the side of the inn. He climbs the two steps and pushes the door open, motioning for the boys to enter it behind him. “Did I forget to mention it? Silly me, it must have slipped my mind. Oh well. Come in, come in.”

The trio looks at each other before stepping inside what they presume is Doyoung’s humble abode.

“Jaehyun, I’m back. And I brought back some friends,” Doyoung calls out as he ushers the friends to the dining area. Call it his nerves but Donghyuck clung back onto Jaemin’s arm. It was sort of his safe haven,

Doyoung’s partner Jaehyun comes out from the back of the home and briefly looks at the aforementioned friends standing in the dining area. He looks back at his husband and arches his brow. “Again?”

Doyoung sheepishly smiles. “They got stuck by Mrs. Kim’s fruit cart. I couldn’t not help them. Poor things. Look at their faces.” This time Jaehyun looks around Doyoung and smiles, deep dimples and all, at three people Doyoung brought back. Jaehyun wouldn’t say it was a common occurrence but Doyoung had been known to bring back people he felt needed help. He gives them a small wave.

The trio awkwardly wave back to the unfamiliar man in front of them. 

“I’m Jaehyun, Doyoung’s better half. And you are?”

Doyoung looks back with his eyes widened, “Oh yeah, what are your names?”

The three of them look at each other unsure of whether or not they should give their real names or not. Even if they trusted Doyoung and by extension Jaehyun, there was no guarantee they would be safe should their names get out. Maybe they’d be able to pass off as common names separately but being found together would have repercussions like reaching the Lees ears before they were ready to present their plight.

“I’m, uh, Haechan. This is, um, Minjae. Yeah. And that’s Jeno.” Donghyuck point to himself and then his two friends. 

Jeno, who had been standing on the other side of Donghyuck, elbows him in the gut and lowly mutters, “Why did you give my real name?”

“Shh now is not the time for questions,” he responds and gives his million dollar smile to the couple in front of them. They were already there so might as well make a good impression. Besides, despite his crabby attitude Dognhyuck had really taken a liking to Doyoung.

Doyoung doesn’t buy the names though, seeing as he was the one to name Donghyuck Haechan not more than an hour or two ago. He shakes his head in disapproval considering all the things he had done for the trio but says nothing else of it, choosing to ignore the blatant and obvious lie. If Jaehyun recognizes the lie, he doesn’t say anything. He moves on and offers them a seat at the table in their dining area.

“Well, welcome to our home. Please make yourselves comfortable.”

The three of them sit on one bench while Jaehyun sits opposite them. Doyoung had escaped to the kitchen to finish the lentil soup Jaehyun had begun before they arrived. Donghyuck had taken to looking around the home. It was comfy and yet gave off a feeling of grandeur. He couldn’t quite figure out why though. It’s a few moments of awkward silence before Jaehyun finally speaks up.

Donghyuck could hear Jeno’s sigh of relief. He bet his royal title that Jeno’s eyes were frantically looking around the room not knowing where to settle. He was never one for much eye contact unlike Jaehyun who was unashamedly staring at them. 

“So Mrs. Kim’s fruit stand, huh? You guys are gutsy to do so. Doyoung probably found you guys right on time too. He loves being the hero.” Jaehyun speaks fondly of his partner.

“We are new here so we didn’t know about Mrs. Kim. We just wanted fruit. We got into Titania just this evening.” Jaemin says.

“Oh! What brings you here to Titania?”

Jeno speaks up confidently, “We three have always dreamed of moving to Titania. We come from Lindora and wish to find home here.” 

Donghyuck stifles his laughter at Jeno’s response. Unknowingly or not, he sounded very rehearsed. 

Jaehyun smiles and pats Jeno’s head. “Well you’ve come to the right place to seek change. Most people who come here want to be someone different from who they were when they came in.”

“Really?”

“Of course. We've received many peculiar people coming into the inn, it's incredible the people you meet and the stories you hear. Most are coming to seek adventure elsewhere or, “ Jaehyun gives the three of them a pointed look, “they're running away from problems and wanting to start afresh.”

“Are people actually successful in starting anew?” Donghyuk blurted out.

Jaehyun ponders for a moment. “I would say yes. I definitely did.”

“What’s your story?”

“It’s nothing really special. I moved here from Tisidon when I was eighteen. I got a job at a silk stand by this couple who really took a chance on me. I was escaping my own parents at the time who want me to continue in the trading business.”

“Trading doesn’t seem so bad,” Jaemin mentions. He could think of many other professions that were worse.

Jaehyun shakes his head. “Trust me, it was. Especially the kind of trading they did. Anyways, I ended up loving my job and eventually I was kind of adopted into the family. So I started working at the inn too. They also owned that.”

“When did you meet Doyoung?”

Jaehyun grinned. “Well, the couple had a son. He was so stubborn and so strict, a little blunt at times too, but he was also genuine and sweet. We fell in love and by the time I turned twenty-one we were married. His parents left us the inn and the silk business when they moved.”

“That’s so,” Donghyuck thinks for a moment, “anticlimactic.”

“Not every love story has to be grand. Even the simplest things such as taking over cooking for dinner while I talk to our younger friends here,” he gestures to the trio in front of him, “is good enough.”

The boys don’t have a chance to respond as Doyoung interrupts the conversation to announce the completion of supper. He serves each person a bowl and sets it in front of them before settling beside Jaehyun to eat his own portion. He gives Jaehyun a smile and bumps his shoulder playfully. Jaehyun returns the smile and brings the spoon to his mouth to start eating.

Donghyuck doesn’t miss this action and smiles down to his own soup. If he could even get a love a fraction as sweet as Doyoung and Jaehyun he would be very happy. Even if their love story was sort of lame. Curiously, he looks over to the other couple at the table. From the top of the table it looks like nothing is going on but when he looks down he can see Jaemin’s hand gently placed on Jeno’s knee. Another gesture of reassurance and comfort. 

In an ideal world, Jaemin and Jeno would be able to be married instead of Donghyuck and Jaemin. Perhaps Donghyuck would also be sitting at this table with his own lover, enjoying dinner with his friends. Doyoung and Jaehyun had been nothing but nice and accommodating to them so they could be sitting at the table too. Maybe even his brother and his brother-in-law.

But this was reality and they were only here because they had nowhere else to go. They had to rely on the monarchs of the Titania to help them until they had to go home, whenever that was. They desperately needed a plan.

The only sounds in the room were of wooden spoons hitting bowls and slurping, everyone seemingly lost in their own thoughts. Nobody talked through dinner choosing to eat in a comfortable silence. Once all finished their soup, Jaehyun picked up the bowls and placed them back in the kitchen before returning to his position beside Doyoung. The trio gave their thanks and complimented the chefs.

Doyoung bit his lip and clasped his hands together. “Will you guys be needing three rooms?”

“I think that would be okay.” Jaemin nodded. 

“Hypothetically, if we need a place to stay for a few more days but we had no money, who could we go about finding a job here?” Donghyuck hesitantly inquires.

Doyoung thinks for a moment but it is Jaehyun who responds, “Well we have an opening for someone to work both at the inn and at our stall. But we only need one person so you guys would have to decide amongst yourselves. Fear not though, we could help the other two find other jobs from other friends who are looking for help.

Doyoung tilts his head in confusion, “Who needs help?”

“Yuta does. Remember? He was complaining about manning his stand alone yesterday ever since Jungwoo left back home to Aris.”

“I didn’t know he needed help though? I thought he was just complaining. Is Jungwoo not coming back?” Doyoung looked taken aback. 

“”Let’s talk about this later. It’s getting late, our visitors need rest and we still need to prepare for the morning.”

“Ah right, sorry,” Doyoung turns back to his guests, “Let me show you where you will be staying tonight. We can discuss your situation tomorrow after the prince has left.”

The three nodded and followed Doyoung out of his house like little ducklings and out into the building next door.

Unlike the outside of the inn, the inside was far more grand. The front desk is the first thing you see when you walk in. But to the left there was a decent size sitting room off the side of the front desk with comfortable chairs that look like they cost a fortune and a nice stone fireplace that was probably good for the cold winter days. Off to the other side there was a tavern where Donghyuck supposed most of the guests spent their evening in. The shelf behind the bar looked very generously stocked too.There was also a wooden staircase behind the front desk that took guests upstairs what Donghyuck guesses are the guest rooms. The red and gold carpets really brought in a nice splash of color to the room. Overall, it was simple yet lavish. It suited Donghyuck’s tastes perfectly.

Donghyuck expected nothing less and after seeing Doyoung and Jaehyun’s home, it was a no brainer that their establishment would have the same feeling.

“Alright boys, let's get you to bed. Up the stairs we go.”

Jaemin, Jeno and Donghyuck climb the steps up towards the rooms with Doyoung right behind them. But Donghyuck stops in his tracks and turns around to face Doyoung. “You know we aren’t kids right? We don’t have bedtimes.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Donghyuck says nothing else and continues trekking up the stairs.

Doyoung pushes through to the front of the small group and takes them down a hallway. He unlocks the first door, “Minjae, you will stay in this room.” Then he unlocks the door right next to it, “Haechan, this one is yours and Jeno can stay in the room across from Minjae.”

“I will head back home now. Have a good night. Me and Jaehyun will be back in the morning.” With that Doyoung waves at the three friends and walks back down the stairs.

—

Of course being who they were, the trio did in fact not go to bed. Instead they all gathered in Donghyuck’s room to come up with a game plan. Jaemin and Jeno found themselves sitting on the bed side by side while Donghyuck had long taken to pacing around the room. A very mirrored image of their days back in Astra. It had only been a few weeks since they had left but those memories felt like a lifetime ago.

Like usual Donghyuck breaks the ice, “We only need to dodge Prince Minhyung tomorrow and then I think we are clear for the time being until we put whatever plan we have into motion.” 

“Wait Hyuck, I’m confused. I thought we wanted to be found so that Prince Minhyung can take us in,” Jaemin looked over to Jeno, hoping he was also confused. He wasn’t.

“I don’t think they would take a liking to the fact that the both of us just dropped in here, with no notice at all. We need to be smart about this. I was trying to think of a plan when we were eating and I think I have one but I need your guys’ input.” The nervousness that cracks through the Astrian prince’s face has his friends worried. But Donghyuck smiles and reaffirms that he is fine.

For good measure, Donghyuck walks over and grabs Jaemin’s hands into his own, “What if we send a letter to the palace saying that you are coming for a visit in a week’s time then while you stay in the castle, you can convince Prince Minhyung after another week to let me come visit. Just say it’s like husband duties or something.”

“Oh, did you hear that Jeno, husband duties,” Jaemin waggles his eyebrows up and down. Jeno rolls his eyes playfully.

“You know what I mean.”

“Of course, you know I could never live without you nor leave you behind. Sorry, Jeno. Hyuck, we are best friends until the end remember? Cool husbands who are actually only best friends and only do platonic best friend stuff because they don’t like eachother like that but were forced to get married anyway even though they are both in love with other people.”

Donghyuck clicks his tongue and crosses his arms. “You forgot the part where I’m the better looking husband that’s lowering his standards and settling with you.”

Jaemin gives a fake offended look to his best friend. “Excuse me if anyone is settling it’s me. You may be a ten out of ten on the hot scale but Jeno is like a thousand and if my math skills are correct, a thousand trumps a measly ten. Therefore, I’m settling for you. Jeno, back me up here.” He elbows his boyfriend for help.

“Prince Minhyung is literally a million out of ten and if my math is correct, a million is more than a thousand. So by default I’m settling. Nice try though. Plus I’m the one technically being dumped because you are in love with someone else. Jeno, back me up.”

“Excuse me, you are in love with someone else too. We were literally just talking about Prince Minhyung,” Jaemin points his finger accusedly at Donghyuck. But Donghyuck only waves him off.

“Love is too big a word to describe my feelings for Minhyung. I’m in like or in admiration, if I must label it.”

The friends bicker for a few more moments before Jeno is finally fed up. Maybe it was the long journey or the fact that he was tired after eating a proper meal after many weeks or just having a comfortable bed to sleep in. Whatever it was, he was over the conversation between his friend and boyfriend. His pillow was calling him.

“Guys, we have bigger things to worry about than just this. Jaemin, technically if you and Donghyuck actually took this engagement seriously like you should be because it’s your duty, it would be you who would be breaking the marriage by being with me. So yes, Donghyuck is right in that he is the one being dumped.”

Donghyuck sticks his tongue out at the pouty Jaemin. 

“And Donghyuck, if I had a dollar for everytime I heard Prince Minhyung’s name come out of your mouth, especially since you found out we were coming to Titania, I would be a really, really, really, wealthy person. I think you are past admiration and Jaemin is on the right track to say that you might even possibly be in love with him. But that is neither here nor there.”

Donghyuck huffs out a small “whatever.”

Ignoring him, Jeno moves on. “There are two things we seriously need to discuss: the viewing tomorrow and how we can stay here for the time being.”

Donghycuk frowns at this.”I thought we already established this. We are going to do my plan because I heard no objections earlier and then we will take the work opportunities given to us by Jaehyun. Simple as that.”

Jeno massages his temples. Sensing Jeno’s frustration, Jaemin speaks up. “We have to be sure that Prince Minhyung does not see us at all. He may recognize me or you, Hyuck, and we definitely can’t have that until we can get our stories straight and we do this properly because this is not only about Prince Minhung but also his parents.”

“Ok so we just hide here until the day after tomorrow. Sounds easy.” Donghyuck affirms.

“Well, I always carry a royal stamp with us wherever we go. We can just write to the prince tomorrow and in a week’s time we will make it seem as if we just arrived.” Jeno mentions, obviously not as frustrated as he had been earlier. He pulls out a small stamp with the Na family crest and shows it to Jaemin and Donghyuck.

“How do you carry so much in that little bag,” Donghyuck says, sounding amazed. He tries to grab the bag from Jeno’s grip to see what else is in the bag but Jeno pulls it away just in time. Donghyuck sulks at this.

“Okay well that’s settled then. We will tell Jaehyun we want the jobs in the morning. Since I’m meant to be guarding Jaemin, we will take the outside jobs. Even if we aren’t together I can probably keep a better eye on him then if I worked inside.”

“Man, I can’t even imagine Donghyuck working. He has never worked a day in his life. It will be funny to see.” Jaemin says to no one in particular. 

“Wow, you don’t have to say it like that. I can work if I need to. You haven’t worked either!” Donghyuck whines back to his best friend.

“Yes, but I didn’t propose we work now did I? Jeno works. He can help us through it. I honestly don’t think it can be that hard right?” Both princes look over to Jeno and give a silent look of questioning. It was true that neither had worked a day in their lives but they needed to to survive living in Titania for the time being and that meant doing something they were unfamiliar with.. 

“I think you are both capable, my princes. Now if you don’t mind, I think I will retire for the night. Good night, you royal highnesses.” Jeno stands up and bows to Donghyuck before holding his hand out for Jaemin to grab. Jaemin smiles from where he is sitting and takes Jeno’s hand to follow him out the room.

He turns around and waves to Donghyuck before calling out, “Goodnight Hyuck, we will see you in the morning. Have a good sleep.”

Donghyuck waves his friends off and closes the door behind them. He quickly gets ready for bed before turning off the lights and jumping under the covers. He can only hope that everything will turn out fine for them tomorrow. They just need to survive a week, or for him two, and then hopefully they can find a way to get home. He says a little prayer and goes to sleep.

__

Jaemin was the first to wake up amongst his friend and boyfriend. He was notorious for being an early riser and it was nice to know that despite the circumstances, nothing had changed. But with all the ruckus going on downstairs, it was impossible not to wake up. If he didn’t know Donghyuck slept like a log or if hadn’t told Jeno not to worry about guarding him and sleep in for once, he would’ve thought them to have bad hearing. 

The Lindorian prince was reluctant to go downstairs because either he would be roped into helping Doyoung and Jaemin prepare or he would be scolded for slowing down the inn owners from cleaning. But his curiosity got the best of him so he continued to walk towards the stairwell. As quietly as he could, he tip toes down the stairs.

“Your silks are the best in Titania. We should be so honored that you two decided to stay here.” A voice Jaemin doesn't recognize says.

“Well, we love Titania. And where else would we get lovely customers such as yourself, Ten. ” That was definitely Jaehyun’s voice.

When he gets to the last step and sees the people in front of him, he wishes he took his own advice and just slept in because the first person in his view is the Titianian prince. Shock crosses Jaemin’s face. Luckily for him he and his acquaintance seemed to be too immersed in looking at the silks at the front desk to notice him standing in front of them. He quickly turns around and tries to head back upstairs as if he were never there but before he could do so, he hears his name being called out.

“Minjae, come down. The prince is here.”

_Damn it, Jaehyun_

The prince’s eyes widened in horror. Turning around and walking down the steps into the main room meant it was over. Admittedly, he always thought it would be Donghyuck to get them caught and he had repeatedly cautioned him on the journey to Titania to be cautious. But as fate has it, it was he who would be the one to get them caught. On their second day too nonetheless.

His shoulders slump and he saunters down the stairs, careful as to not wake up his companions, with a look of dread adorning his face. The only thing he could do was hold onto the railing and hope for the best. He mentally cursed himself for being so damn curious.

When he reaches the bottom of the stairs again, Jaehyun grabs one of his arms and lightly pushes him forward to be seen by their guests. In front of him stood Prince Minhyung and a shorter male, presumably Ten, who Jaehyun had just mentioned. Both are looking straight at him.

“Your highness, meet Minjae. He comes from Lindora and he just made it into the kingdom last night with his two friends.”

Jaemin nervously waves and bows, “Your Highness. It's an honor to meet you.” He avoids making any form of eye contact.

Prince Minhyung returns the gesture with a slight nod. While he hasn’t said anything yet, Jaemin can feel the long, hard piercing stare the prince is giving him. He shivers under the gaze, hoping and praying that the look he is being given is that of attraction and not recognition.

“Jaehyun, Doyoung, Prince Minhyung, I don’t want to disturb you any further so I will head back up stairs. Have a nice day.” Doyoung nods in approval and lets him go back upstairs. He quickly turns his back on the four people standing in the front room of the inn and tries to quickly make his way up yet again to escape before anyone catches on to anything, mainly Prince Minhyung.

But luck is not on his side. 

Before he can reach the stairs, his name is called out once more. And unfortunately it was by the voice he least wanted to hear. “Prince Jaemin, what are you doing here in Titania?”

Jaemin bites his lower lip and considers his options: 1) he can run up the stairs into his room and hide under the covers, 2) he can admit that he is Prince Jaemin and hope that Minhyung will accept him, Jeno and Donghyuck with open arms (highly likely option if Donghyuck is excluded from the narrative), or 3) he can deny and hope that Prince Minhyung knows no better.

He picks option three and hopes for the best. 

He swiftly turns around and gives a timid smile. “Prince Jaemin? No, that is not I. I am just a commoner who came to start fresh in this lovely kingdom of Titania as many do. By myself, no one else, like at all. I’m solo, free as a bird.”

It was apparent that he was a horrible liar. 

Jaemin can see Jaehyun and Doyoung furrowing their brows in confusion. They obviously know he didn’t come alone. Hell, Jaehyun had even said he came with his two friends. But Jaemin couldn’t risk getting them caught so he lied. He locks eyes with the closest person to him, Jaehyun, and tries to give him a look to keep his mouth shut and agree with him. Doyoung catches the look instead and gives a brief head nod in understanding. 

Doyoung opens his mouth to acknowledge and confirm Jaemin’s story as true when just beside him his partner responds.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Minjae,” Jaehyun says, oblivious to the panicked look on Jaemin and Doyoung’s faces. “He came with his companions Haechan and Jeno but I think they are both still sleeping in their rooms.”

“Jaehyun, stop talking.” Doyoung whispers and grabs his hand to squeeze. Jaehyun is really confused but when he finally sees the worried look on Jaemin’s face he knows he’s made a mistake. He sends an apologetic glance Jaemin's way instead.

“Doyoung, it seems you don’t realize that you are housing Lindorian royalty,” Ten utters.

“Are you sure it’s Prince Jaemin? I mean this guy doesn’t seem princely and I would know if royalty was in my inn. Plus we have good ties with Lindora. I’m sure if Prince Jaemin was really here he would have gone straight to the castle and you would know about it.” Doyoung speedily says as he tries to remedy the situation. He nervously chuckles.

“Yes, it is peculiar why we weren’t informed beforehand but I’m sure he has his reasons. Nonetheless, this is Prince Jaemin. I recognize him from last year’s summit.”

Jaemin says nothing.

Minhyung looks over to his advisor as if asking for advice. “Ten?”

“Let us continue the viewing, your highness. We will be back at sunset to get Prince Jaemin and his bodyguard. Your third companion is also welcomed to join us if he would like.”

Jaehyun makes one last attempt but he knows it’s a lost cause. “Prince Minhyung, surely you can’t be serious. I mean what business would the prince even have here?”

“Have you ever seen the prince, Jaehyun?” 

The dimpled man shakes his head. “Well, now you have and he definitely stayed in your inn.”

Minhyung walks in front of Jaemin and pats him on the shoulder. “As we have a good alliance with Lindora we are obligated to take care of you. We will be back to pick you up. Do not fight us on this, Prince Jaemin. Let us go, Ten.”

With that the two leave out the door and move on from the inn. A taller guard follows behind them. Jaemin hadn’t noticed him before as he was probably stationed outside to ensure no one came in while the prince was inside.

Doyoung looks back at Jaemin, who was still standing in front of the steps, and then chooses to exit the door Minhyung and Ten had just left from. He shouts out, “Hey! You can’t just do this. I think I would know if I was housing princes in my inn!” But it was futile because they were out of hearing range.

“Don’t look at me like that, Mr. Park. I’m not crazy.” Doyoung’s voice echoes in the street. All his screaming probably vendors on the same street curious about what was going on. Jaehyun just shakes his head as if he were used to this and walks over to grab Doyoung.

Jaehyun has to pull his husband back inside before he causes any more alarm. “Forget it Doyoung. They can’t hear you and even if they could I doubt it would change anything.Your also lucky only Mr. Park heard you yelling because we could get in alot of trouble for yelling at the prince.”

“Sorry,” Doyoung murmurs, turning his focus on Jaemin. It was his fault they were in this predicament in the first place. How could they not know they were housing royalty?

“You!,” Doyoung points to Jaemin from where he was standing by the door, “Go wake up your friends. You guys have a lot of explaining to do.”

—

“Okay, so let me get this straight. You are Prince Jaemin from Lindora,” Doyoung asks again. He could not believe what he was hearing. It felt almost as unreal as the first time he heard it an hour ago.

The three nod. 

“And Jeno and Haechan are your bodyguards.”

“Ha, he wishes. But no Jeno is only his bodyguard,” Donghyuck snorts at the notion of being his best friend’s bodyguard. Although, deep down he actually felt complimented that he could be mistaken as a bodyguard. They were tough and strong and Donghyuck wanted to be that, physically.

“Then who are you?” Jaehyun asks, looking at Donghyuck.

Donghyuck stays tight-lipped. If Prince Minhyung didn’t like Astra, he’s sure the people didn’t either. Now he wishes he would’ve kept his mouth shut and said he was Jaemin’s bodyguard. Maybe if they would’ve thought of that beforehand all their problems would’ve been solved.

Jaehyun asks again and like before Donghyuck remains silent. He looks over to his friends for help but their heads are lowered in shame for having deceived their hosts He was on his own. 

“If you don’t tell us right now, I will send you back to Mrs. Kim and let her report you to the Lees.” Doyoung threatens. 

“My name is not really Haechan. It’s Donghyuck of Astra,” He sighs. Anything is better than that scary lady. 

At his confession, Doyoung looks about a few seconds away from fainting. Instead he dramatically falls back on the couch in the sitting room, hands covering his face. Donghyuck watching him as he did so. 

“Oh goodness. Jaehyun, reprimand them. You’re good at that.”

But Jaehyun only continued to question them, making Doyoung sigh loudly. “Um, anyways why are you guys really here then? I’m sure the story about reinventing yourselves was false.”

“Well the short version is this: we were forced to come here by protocol because the castle of Astra was being invaded by rebels against the royal family.” Jeno says.

“Uh, what?”

“Jeno dragged me and Jaemin here instead of Aris where I was supposed to go based on my protocol,” Donghyuck glares at Jeno as if this were all his fault. Which, in Donghyuck’s eyes, was. “I had to deal with them being lovey dovey the whole time and we haven’t been here a day and we already got caught. My bad luck has peaked.”

“Aren’t you and prince Jaemin engaged?” Doyoung sits up straight.

“I mean kinda but it’s obvious that Jeno and Jaemin are together. It’s a sham engagement. Well, not really, because we really do have to get married to each other but we don’t love each other. We are only friends. But you can’t tell anyone.”

Jaehyun rubs his head, taking in all the information. “Doyoung, they are giving me a headache.” 

“Me too.”

“What are we going to do?” Donghyuck asks Jaemin and Jeno. 

Being awoken by a fuming Doyoung had been quite the event. He’s used to being yelled at in the morning, whether it's Jaemin when he stays over, his older brother, or even his advisor, it was nothing new. Doyoung, however, had a certain seriousness to his tone that was scary. He woke up on the first yell.

“Isn’t it a good thing Prince Minhyung found you? Now you can live in the royal castle with him until it’s safe for you to go home.” Jaehyun questions.

“But what about Hyuck? He’s from Astra and we know that royals don’t like his family.” A hint of sadness escapes Jaemin’s voice. It’s a sucky situation to be in but they were hoping they weren’t going to have to deal with it until much later.

Even if the thought never escaped their minds. 

“Yeah, that might be a problem.” Hearing Doyoung agree makes Donghyuck tense up.

“You don’t think he’ll take me in?” Donghyuck turns to Doyoung.

“No, I know he won’t take you in.”

“Why not?” 

“Well, besides the fact that our kingdoms have been rivals since the old days. Prince Minhyung, no matter how kind he may be, has said some crude things about Astra in the past.” Doyoung pats Donghyuck on the back. He doesn’t want the other to lose hope but the situation is not good right now for him.

“Seems a bit over the top to not let me in because of some escalated feud with our fathers. I think if the roles were reversed we would help Prince Minhyung.”

Jaehyun arches his brow and gives a knowing glance to the Austrian prince. “Would you?”

“Well maybe not my dad but I would.”

“Then you are quite kind. I bet if not our trade deal with each other for seafood any relation to Astra would have long been cut off. It's ironic isn’t it? Astra and Titania hate eachother but the need each other the most.” It’s nothing Donghyuck has never heard. Even his father knew the value of having Titania as a trade partner. But it was only ever that: trading goods. If the monarchs didn’t have to speak to each other, they wouldn’t. They didn’t. 

“So I’m bad just because I’m from Astra.”

“Dear Haechan, no,” Doyoung rests his palm on Donghyuck’s cheek, “It’s because you are in line for the throne of Astra that you’d re consider bad.” 

“Prince Minhyung surely can’t hate me right? I have done nothing to his kingdom, to him nor do I plan to in the future. I’m not even the heir to rule over Astra. My brother Taeyong and his husband Taeil are going to be ruling over it.”

“I think that not matters to Prince Minhyung. A fair and good leader he might be, but he can be quite stubborn. You weren’t here but he was very adamant about coming back for Prince Jaemin.” Jaemin nods his head in agreement. Minhyung only had to say it once but it was so authoritative that Jaemin dare not go against it especially in a kingdom not his own.

“Do you think he knows I’m here?” Donghyuck looks around the room at the four others.

“Maybe not but I wouldn’t put it past him to know sooner than you would like him too.”

“There is nothing that goes on here that he doesn’t know. Like I said, spies everywhere. Be careful when you are out at the market and when you help at the inn.” Jaehyun emphasizes for good measure. He grabs a pillow and places it on his lap. 

“Well now that I’ve lost hope I’m just going to change the subject.” Donghyuck squints his eyes and faces the couple on the loveseat in the sitting room. “I’ll ask the tough questions around here. Why are you guys so chummy with the prince? You guys are literally on a first name basis. He called you guys by your first name.”

“Well..we…uh…” Both Doyoung and Jaehyun stumble over their words nervously.

“See, you are hiding something too. How can we trust you after this deceit? You shall repay us by letting me work here.”

“First off, there is no shady business going on here and I already told you that you could have the job Haechan, no I mean Donghyuck.” Doyoung scoffed, “Secondly, our family histories go way back hence we are familiar. Do not read more into it than there actually is. It’s not like I’m hiding that I’m a prince of a kingdom, only immature kids do that.”

Jaemin lowly whistles as to not bring attention to the fact that he also was a prince that did not disclose the fact. Although why would they, things could’ve been a lot different, and not necessarily in a good way, had they been upfront. But that was an argument for another time.

“Hey!” Donghyuck is offended.

“Guys, I think you need to settle down.” Jaehyun calmly says. He grabs Doyoung to sit back down next to him. Doyoung hadn’t even realized that he stood up when he was arguing with Donghyuck. 

“Jaemin, do not fret. Donghyuck will be safe here with us when you and Jeno leave. We will let him stay as long as he repays us by working either in the inn or with our silk stall to cover his inn expenses. Food will be on us.” Jaehyun reassures Jaemin. He gives him the softest smile he could muster. 

“See Jaemin, nothing to worry about. I’m safe here,” Donghyuck looks back at the scowl Doyoung is giving him,” we’ll kind of. Jaehyun is here.”

“I’m scared to leave you. We are supposed to be together.” Jaemin still can’t help but feel bad about leaving his friend behind. Not that it was really either of their choices. Donghyuck was safest here at the inn with Jaehyun and Doyoung.

“Don’t worry Jaemin. It'll all work out I know it. We can follow through with our plan. Tell Prince Minhyung that I am to visit in a week to be with you. Best case scenario he sends me right back here to the inn.”

“And worst?” Donghyuck shakes his head.

“Let’s not think of that quite now.”

Donghyuck wraps his arms around his friends shoulders with a cheeky smile. “Now let us three be together until dawn. Shall we go explore the marketplace?”

“I don’t really feel like doing anything other than sitting here with you.” Jaemin says, sadness dropping from his voice.

Somberness filled the air for the rest of the day. There were many different kinds of thoughts going through all the trio’s heads. Even though he tried not to feel guilty, Jaemin couldn’t help but feel horrible about compromising their identities. Jeno, on the other hand, wanted to punch himself for being too lax when he really should’ve been guarding and protecting the princes. No one blamed him though. Donghyuck was worried and slightly unnerved about his fate in the kingdom despite trying to comfort his best friend.

It felt like such a stupid thing to be nervous about but as circumstances has it it’s the only thing on his mind. Despite what Doyoung said he still had some faith in Prince Minhyung. If Jaemin or Jeno knew what he was thinking they would definitely say he was being biased. But Donghyuck was hoping for the best, even though he really didn’t know Prince Minhyung all that well. That’s the part that hurts him the most too. The fact that Prince Minhyung could be a cruel person.

Doyoung and Jaehyun tried to bring the three of them food but when they realized they weren’t going to eat nor respond, they took it back to the tavern. Nothing could get them out of their mood. The three of them sat on the couch staring into nothingness. 

Donghyuck rested his head on Jaemin’s shoulder while Jaemin and Jeno latched arms. They remained in the sitting room for the rest of the day.

True to the Prince's word by time sunset had come, the same guard from the morning walked through the open door of the inn. He made a beeline straight for the front desk where Doyoung and Jaehyun were working.

The friends looked up from their spot on the couch and walked over after seeing the guard from the morning. 

“Doyoung, Jaehyun, I’ve come here to escort Prince Jaemin and his bodyguard to the castle upon Prince Minhyung’s request.” Both look at Jaemin and Jeno. 

“But…” Jaemin started, eyes fixed on his best friend, but Jeno grabbed his hand and shook his head to stop. It was best to leave it alone and work on helping Donghyuck from inside the castle. It was the only thing they could do now.

“Don’t worry, Prince Jaemin. As a token of good faith, you can bring your friend with you and we will house all three of you. Doyoung and Jaehyun will also be rewarded handsomely for helping you.” 

“I politely decline,” Donghyuck answers. Even if he wanted to go under the guise as Jaemin’s friend, someone, namely Minhyung or his parents, would eventually recognize him. He’d be back to square one. With his turned down offer, the guard nods in acknowledgment.

“We are literally just getting paid for serving lentils and giving them a bed. Talk about bare minimum.” Doyoung whispers.

“Shh.” Jaehyun elbows Doyoung’s gut.

“You will be able to write to your parents once you come back with me. We can tell them you are here.” The Titanian guard comforts the wary Jaemin.

Jaemin goes to give Donghyuck a hug. He lowers his voice and asks, “Hyuck, what about you?” 

“Don’t worry about me, I'll still be here. I don’t know when we’ll be able to see eachother next but if you go home please contact my parents and tell them where I am okay?”

Jaemin nods and squeezes Donghyuck one more time before releasing him from his hold. Jeno also goes in for a short hug not long after. Jaemin looks back at Donghyuck once more.

“Just go.”

The two Lindorians walk behind the guard. 

“We are about to head out but Jaehyun, Doyoung and Jaemin’s friend please come dine with us tonight to mark the end of the viewing.”

“Of course we will be there, Johnny. ” Doyoung politely smiles.

“The prince asked personally for you three to show up tonight. Dress smart.”

Once the three of them left, Donghyuck goes into a state of panic, startling the married couple.

“Oh goodness, he knows that I’m here. I’m going to get kicked out and left to fend for myself. I don’t even know how to get home on foot or even to Aris. I'll be stuck in the woods. I only survived last time because of Jeno.” Donghyuck forgets to breathe.

“What are you talking about?” Jaehyun stands behind the front desk watching Donghyuck.

“He invited us to dinner...on the day Jaemin is taken in. Doesn’t that sound suspicious to you.”

“Relax, it’s tradition to have dinner and dance at the castle after the viewing. The Lee’s hold a big party to celebrate the kingdom. It’s kind of an open invitation for everyone. It’s partly in the courtyard and partially out on the streets. Expect fireworks tonight. Plus the royal family never actually goes. It’s for the people.” Doyoung says as he looks through the papers in front of him. If Doyoung looked nonchalant about the whole thing then Donghyuck supposed he should feel nonchalant too. 

“Okay, if the family never goes then it should be harmless. We should be able to have fun. Princes can have fun too!”

He takes a few minutes to calm himself down. He plops on the couch and let’s his arm cover his eyes. When he woke up in the morning he wasn’t expecting his day to go like this. Maybe he, Jaemin, and Jeno would’ve gone out to explore more of the kingdom. Maybe they would’ve helped Doyoung and Jaehyun with dinner. 

Now it was just him. And Jaehyun and Doyoung.

“So Donghyuck, what are you going to wear?” Doyoung offhandedly questions.

Donghyuck bites his lip. Honestly, in his own bag, clothes wise he only packed his pajamas and one more outfit. He definitely didn’t have anything nice to wear. He looks over to the inn owner and gives a wide smile. “Doyoung have I ever told you how handsome you look today. It’s blinding.”

Doyoung stares at the younger male. Donghyuck keeps the smile on his face and bats his eyelashes. Jaehyun looks back and forth between the two of them, finding the whole situation hilarious.

After what felt like five minutes of staring, Doyoung finally gives into Donghyuck. “Fine fine, anything to get you to stop blinking at me like that.”

Donghyuck grins in satisfaction.

\--

Donghyuck had never seen such a beautifully decorated courtyard before. It would even blow all the events his mother held out of the water. Everyone looked exquisite in their outfits and the food was something to be commended on. Even the weather had been on the Titanian royal family’s side. Cool and breezy but not cold and windy.

The young prince observes the dance floor. There he sees Doyoung and Jaehyun smiling at each other as they circled on the dance floor, not caring about anyone around them. In the day he had spent with them, Donghyuck had grown a certain fondness for the couple and would be sad when he inevitably had to go back to Astra. Besides his parents and brother, no one who cared about him in the way they had. They willingly brought home a strange kid (originally three) and let him stay with them, no questions asked. They also gave him a job to help him sort of his life until he was able to leave. They didn’t have to but they did anyways and because of that Donghyuck will always be eternally grateful.

They were good people. Even with his and Doyoung’s constant bickering, he was content.

He continues to watch everyone dance on the dance floor while is off to the side. He wasn’t much for dancing but if someone asked him he wouldn’t say no either. There would be a day where he would always have a partner but for now, it can only stand on the sidelines and watch.

Like clockwork, a tap on his shoulder has him turning around to face the owner of the hand. He expected someone random to have tapped his shoulder but instead he was face to face with the person he wanted to see the least. 

“May I have this dance?” Donghyuck’s eyes widen as Prince Minhyung holds out a hand for him to take. He could do nothing but nod and accept the hand offered to him. He ignored the obvious stares and whispers he could see from his peripheral.

The Titanian prince looked handsome tonight, he had observed. And not just handsome but dashing and impressive and attractive and stunning and many other words that he was failing to remember.

He hadn’t seen the other prince in almost five years but he grew up well. His brother was still the best looking person he had ever seen but Prince Minhyung was a close, very close, second. His jet black hair, his strong cheekbones, his jawline. Donghyuck was a sucker for a good jawline. Plus his dress robes were of the finest quality (no doubt from Doyoung and Jaehyun). He remembered a similar pattern on one of the chairs in that home.

He was speechless.

“Sure,” he stutters out. His response was late but it was fine.

Minhyung smiles and escorts Donghyuck to the dance floor. Donghyuck places his arms around Minhyung’s neck while he places his hands on Donghyuck’s waist. 

Their dance was a silent one until Minhyung pulled Donghyuck close, bodies almost touching, so he could whisper in his ear.

“So how long have you been sneaking around in my territory, Prince Donghyuck?”

“I-what?” Donghyuck steps back and looks Minhyung in the eyes, trying to see if he was joking around. He sees nothing but seriousness in the other Prince’s eyes. He scoots back closer into his original position as to not alarm anyone.

“I heard Jaemin and his guard talking about you being here and I just knew that you must’ve been the other friend that came with him. Why else would you reject staying in the castle? When Johnny told me, I was surprised.” Minhyung pulls back to see the shock that adorned Donghyuck’s face before resuming his position. “Why are you here?”

“I’m-I-I have nowhere else to go.” It was true he really had nowhere else to go. He could be mad at Jeno for bringing here instead of to their allies but what’s done is done. It was all behind him now. That didn’t stop him from mentally kicking Jeno in the shin though for having a hand in putting him in this situation.

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true.”

“Why would you come here when you know you and your family are hated here?” Minhyung arches his brow. Donghyuck couldn’t even say anything because it was true and Minhyung had a point. 

“There was an attack at our castle. Jaemin and Jeno were in Astra when it happened. We were leaving Astra and were supposed to be heading to Aris but Jeno took us here because the Lindorian extraction plan has them come here if anything were to happen. And since something happened Jeno just followed the plan he was told to. I was the straggler you could say.”

“Interesting.”

“Why are you still here then? Prince Jaemin and his guard are now living with me. No one is stopping you from leaving here.” Minhyung twirls Donghyuck around.

“My kingdom is under attack where I am supposed to go.”

“You have five others to choose from.” 

Donghyuck lets go of his hold on Minhyung and stops dancing in the middle of the courtyard. Minhyung notices people starting to look at the couple so he pulls Donghyuck back in to resume their dancing.

“Would you really kick me out? I haven’t done anything and I really have nowhere to go.”

“I’m merely asking you a question on why you haven’t left. That is all.”

“Please, I really have nowhere to go and I don't know when I’ll be able to go back. If you make me leave I will be lost outside these walls. I’m practically begging you.” Donghyuck pleads.

“Why should I let you?”

“Why wouldn’t you let me stay? I’m not here to mess anything up. I just need a place to stay until I can go home. We are not our fathers. We can have a better relationship and mend the issues between our kingdoms. It all starts with friendship.” 

Minhyung bites his lip. He says nothing and just dips a surprised Donghyuck. He was not expecting that. If anything he expected to be dropped. 

He captures the eye of Doyoung, who was still dancing, who now sees the situation Donghyuck has gotten himself into. Doyoung gives him an unreadable expression and whispers into Jaehyun’s ear. At once, Jaehyun’s eyes dart over to Donghyuck,shock spread across his face. But before Donghyuck can react back, Minhyung twirls him again. 

“No.”

The rejection stirs something inside of Donghyuck. Annoyance. “You don’t even know me.”

“You're from Astra. That tells me all I need to know.” Minhyung says as if his words meant anything to Donghyuck. They don’t. 

“What does that mean?”

“You are spoiled and obnoxious, not very prince-like. How someone as nice as Jaemin is engaged to you I will never understand.”

“You’ve met me once when I was 16, I'm not that kid anymore. I’m older and more mature now.” Donghyuck clicks his tongue.

“So mature that instead of coming to us for help, you hide in the kingdom.”

“I’m not stupid, how long would it have been before you kicked me out or humiliated me in front of everyone. You want to talk immature, take a look at yourself. You hate me for no good reason, a bad impression from like four years ago even.”

“That’s not true.” Minhyung frowns.

“It is true. I came here knowing what my chances were if I got caught but I still did it anyways for my kingdom. I didn’t even care that you were also a total snob and condescending towards everyone at my birthday party including me.”

Actually Donghyuck doesn’t remember if that last bit was true but he was so fired up from Minhyung’s assumptions that he was saying anything to hurt the other. He really hates how good looking Minhyung was and how despite this fight, he would still probably have feelings for this guy.

What bad taste.

“I'm not a snob.”

“Did I hit a sore spot?” Donghyuck smirks.

“No you didn’t.” Donghyuck did. “But fine you can stay. I can’t just let you roam around on the streets here though. And I can’t have you living in the palace either but I need to keep an eye on you so you will report here every morning.”

“Am I going to be held as a prisoner all day?”

“Of course not. Despite what you might think, I'm not cruel.”

“I never said nor thought that.”

With that, both the conversation and the song was over. Donghyuck took his leave from the courtyard dance floor. He didn’t care if it looked disrespectful to Prince Minhyung or the royal family. The feud between the two kingdoms was, no is, stupid. His mom thought so, his brother thought so, and he definitely thought so. 

It was hard to believe Minhyung bought into it. 

Donghyuck walked to where he saw Doyoung and Jaehyun standing. They were talking and drinking red wine. But when they saw the younger approach they set their glasses down and gave their attention to Donghyuck.

“I thought you said the royals never came to this event,” Donghyuck rubs his temples.

“They don’t. I was just as surprised as you were to see Prince Minhyung here.” Doyoung nods to Jaehyun’s statement.

“What did he say, did he threaten you? Jaehyun looks Donghyuck over as if Minhyung had done something. Prince Minhyung may be angry but Donghyuck knows he would never be harmed. The hatred couldn’t have stemmed that deep.

“Nothing major, he just said harmless things.”

Doyoung looked skeptical but said nothing of it. Jaehyun continues, “Did he say you could live in the castle?”

“Don't be ridiculous. He didn’t really say what to do about my living situation but I think I can stay at the inn. It’s just every morning I have to report to him so I’m not sure if that means all day or if it’s like a check-in. But I’m not taking my chances. Even if part of me wants to spit on him, he was rude.” Donghyuck takes the first glass of wine he sees and downs it. He briefly apologizes to no one in particular and takes the second glass to gulp down the wine.

“On the plus side, maybe you can write to your parents on one of the mornings you are in the castle and sneak it out to have delivered,” Jaehyun ruffles his hair.

“Nah, if I send anything back to Astra and they catch it they’ll probably think I’m sending trade secrets and sending my findings as a undercover spy or something. I wouldn’t put it past them to punish me or embarass me publicly here,” Donghyuck bitterly says.

“Well, I don’t think they’d take it that far. I think you are thinking the worst case imaginable and unlikely to happen.”

The tired prince shrugs. “Anything can happen in Titania. It’s Titania, you said so yourself.”

“Ok, no more wine for you. Maybe we should head out. We’ve had our fun. I don’t think Renjun likes that we are here while he’s working at the inn anyways.”

“Who’s Renjun?”

“Your new work friend.”

Donghyuck groans. The day has been too much. He’s not looking forward to getting up the next day.

Even when he’s being annoying, Prince Minhyung stays on Donghyuck’s mind.


End file.
